Under the leadership of Frank Cassara, we have been able to rebuild our membership to near record levels. A sincere thank you to the 248 households (62% of our entire EFC community) that paid their 2015 HOA membership dues as of the end of September.

YOUR voluntary HOA membership financial support continues to play the most significant role in progressing our HOA Beautification Plan. Details are available in the separate Beautification Updatearticle in this newsletter, but in summary:

We completed Phase 1 of our Beautification Plan (new median on Hearst Castle parkway, between Brodick & Twelve Oaks). We did this by resolving several long-standing infrastructure problems and experiencing some milder weather.

We’re continuing to receive compliments for Kristen Kerwin‘s landscape design for this new median. Her efforts turned the neighborhood’s biggest eyesore into a beautiful, sustainable centerpiece on the Hearst Castle parkway.

With the infrastructure largely repaired, we’re now assured reliable sprinkling. Special thanks to John Caldwell for his weekly maintenance of our sprinkler system. We have over 400 sprinkler heads of which three or four require replacement every week.

We are now implementing Phase 2 of our Beautification Plan (First median on Hearst Castle parkway, at Coit entrance).

Our Long Term Beautification Plan continues to focus on replicating this new landscape theme for the rest of Hearst Castle, the EFC entranceway and along Coit Road.

Remember, it’s your dues that make this possible! If you’re not a 2015 dues payer yet, please reconsider your obligation to your neighborhood and Submit Your Dues Now. The majority of our annual dues go towards beautification of the neighborhood which preserves and enhances our property values. If you’re not paying dues because you’re not seeing results then read on. We need everyone in the neighborhood to join in and participate as the dues we receive annually determine how fast we can improve our landscape!

Thanks to all EFC residents that participated in and our HOA members that worked hard in preparation of our September 12th“Meet & Greet” and our October 11th “EFC Fall Festival / National Night Out” social events. Both were wonderful events that facilitated our neighbors getting to know each other better in a relaxed, enjoyable setting, helping us become more of a “community.”

Our 2015 Annual Board Meeting and the 2016 Board Elections are around the corner.

All HOA members are encouraged to attend this important meeting on Tuesday, November 10th. I suggest this is the most important HOA meeting of the year, one that you do not want to miss. Please check out the separate article in this newsletter for more details on this pivotal upcoming event.

If you’re looking for ways to give back to your community, volunteering to help your HOA is a great place to start. Your HOA needs your enthusiasm, ideas and participation! Just let any Board member know of your interest and how you’d like to help, or easily submit this information via the Contact Us form on our website.

Speaking of volunteer opportunities, please consider offering just a couple hours of your time as a volunteer for your HOA Beautification Committee’s “Planting Party” on Saturday morning Nov 7th. By doing this, you can help put in our shiny new plants in the first median on Hearst Castle at the Coit entrance. This is literally the “home stretch” that will allow us to complete Phase 2 of our Beautification Plan!

On behalf of the Board, enjoy the remainder of our Fall and the upcoming holidays. We hope everyone stays healthy and safe. We look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood!